Located on a high hill east of Limassol, are the stone remains of ancient Amathus. This was once a major commercial centre. It was the first of the island's city states and over the centuries it was inhabited by Greeks, Phoenician's, Egyptian's and Jews.
After the arrival of Christianity in Cyprus, St Tychon founded a church here and became the first bishop of Amathus and he also became the patron saint of the town.
The town existed until the 7th century AD, when together with other coastal centres, was destroyed by Arab raids.
From the site, fifteen Hathoric capitals were found, dated between the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century BC. They are associated with the worship of a Cypriot goddess, which were inspired by prototypes from Egypt and present a hellenised image of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. On these capitals, you can see the sacred serpent, which was a symbol of royal power, averting evil and bad luck.
Sources: Eyewitness Travel: Cyprus, Cyprus Department of Antiquities
No comments:
Post a Comment